Evaluation of the Application of the “Master Plan Model” in Iranian Urban Planning Environment

The frequency of criticisms about the “Master Plan Model” and its long-term and almost unchanging persistence, despite the extensive instabilities before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, indicate the need to examine the "relationship between the planning style and the planning environment" that has been forgotten. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the application of this model in the Iranian planning environment.

In the research process, the ‘planning style’ and ‘Planning style identification device’ were clarified by the documentary research method. And, by the content analysis method and its relevant reasoning styles, the elements of two groups: “the planning environment of Iran” and “the determinants of, and constraints on, planning factors” that used to selecting the compatibility planning style, both of them elucidate the “Planning style identification device” indicators, were evaluated.

The characters of “the big image” of Iranchr('39')s planning environment was: an unstable figure; indeterminacy future visions; a planning environment which is under control of political system and government structures; an unsustainable community with several Cleavages in society and a Specific feature that named “Iranian-Islamic” society. And also shown that the effected factors in evaluating planning style is: “uncertain” on ‘image’; “holistic” in ‘community image’; “wide” for ‘Scope of image’; “incomplete” in ‘controlling the planning environment’; “small” in ‘Relative autonomy’; “political role” for ‘The planner role’ and with high “internal and external planning time”.

The suitable planning style for the Iranian planning environment: In the ‘planning approach’ tends to “process planning with a timing revision framework”; in the ‘Review & Evaluation’ tends to “Comprehensive Rational Planning” and in the ‘planning act’ tends to “normative planning”. Also it was illustrated the inconsistency of the Iranian planning environment with the current ‘Master Plan model’ and the “rational comprehensive planning” can be the suitable planning style.